1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to the cord support which holds the electrical cord when it is wound up for storage.
2. Prior Art
Older vacuum cleaners, particularly those whose handles were made of metal, were provided with hooks near the top and bottom of the handle to allow the electrical cord of the vacuum cleaner to be wound about the two hooks for easy storage. The hooks were also of metal and were generally merely screwed to the handle in a fixed position. This required that the cord be wound and unwound one wrap at a time. Later, particularly with the advent of vacuum cleaners made of plastic parts including the handle, provision was made for the ability to rotate at least one of the hooks, usually the top hook, on the handle to allow the hook portion to be moved to a position where the cord could simply be slid off of the hook with out unwinding the cord. Thus, the cord could be removed more quickly. The hook could then be returned to its normal position for again winding the cord back on to the pair of hooks for storage.
These hooks, whether made of plastic or metal, were fixed to the plastic handle by means of a single screw about which the hook could be rotated. Some were spring loaded and provided with a positioning detent or the like to fix the hook in the cord winding position, but allow it to be rotated to more easily remove the cord. Unfortunately, it is a common problem in such constructions that the hook connection to the handle is easily broken since all forces are applied through the screw and there is no additional contact surfaces to spread out the loads that are applied when the hook is being rotated or when the cord is being wrapped onto the hooks. Thus, it is a common problem in such constructions to break parts or permanently destroy the connection between the hook and handle by distortion of the plastic around the threaded hole in the handle receiving the screw.